Gamers of Yore

What is it that makes a game a classic? When I think back to the games I played when computers were making their first baby steps towards becoming the home entertainment systems they are today, I remember those early games in a much better light than I hold many today. Why is that? Is it because they simply were better, or is it nostalgia? I think in many cases it’s a little bit of both. When computers first started breaking into the gaming industry, the games were fresh and new, we hadn’t experienced anything quite like this before, and while they may not have been technological wonders, it was the wonder they inspired in us that has stayed with us.

Retro-gaming has become a huge sub-industry over the past few years, with the number of classic games available doubling and tripling each year. What should that be telling game developers? In short, I think it’s a case of saturation. Many games today are much of a muchness. You can find similar themes spread out over dozens of games, and even in different genres. They all boast dazzling graphics, and occasionally you get a gem such as the KoToR series or the much under rated Vampire Bloodlines, but more often than not, gaming today is quite bland. There are many lessons to be learned from our early attempts at gaming. Because they didn’t have amazing graphics to sell their games, developers had to rely on engaging stories and intriguing plotlines to hook gamers. When did this suddenly stop being the norm? I think you can go back a few years, when AGP really came into its own, and Direct X really started pushing the envelope and see that many developers starting using imagery and gimmick to sell a game rather than content and quality, and as consumers we got complacent and accepted what was shoved our way.

This could explain why the MMO industry is booming, while the general gaming industry has actually seen falling numbers for the first time in years. I think as consumers we have collectively woken up to the cheap imitations of the games of old, and are now demanding once again, to be touched by the gaming experience on a deeper level than simply visual. Some of the most successful games of the last year have been built around engaging storylines, and are often produced by smaller companies, and perhaps this grassroots development is what we need. While certainly eye candy, Doom 3 doesn’t hold a candle to the original, because it can’t recapture that feeling you had when you loaded up the game for the first time, ready to experience something like you’ve never seen before. This could be an example of nostalgia, or is it? Could it be that Doom 3 is a hollow and lifeless game for many because it just lacks creativity, and is nothing more than a mesh of levels and dungeons where you randomly shoot and kill? Sure the same could be said for the original Doom, but it had a certain air and mystique about it, that was sorely lacking in its successor.

So where do we go from here? It’s obvious that even the MMO market is not immune, as it quickly reaches saturation point. World of Warcraft broke the mould and now dozens of developers everywhere are rushing to get a piece of the action. Recently more and more companies seem to be re-branding with the sole intention of developing MMOs for the next generation. What concerns me is the sheer number concentrating on the fantasy element. According to MMOGChart.com, fantasy makes up at least 80% of the market, with other themes sharing a niche within the remaining 20%. With that in mind, why add more to it? Why not concentrate on vastly untapped markets like sci-fi, where the only decent options available to you are Anarchy Online, whose engine is quite dated and while being a good game in essence is hurt by its appearance. Star Wars Galaxies, which is currently embroiled in a drama of SOE versus the gamer, as the developers try to redefine what the game is and how it works. And finally Eve, which is a vastly complex and intriguing game, which often leaves people finding it inaccessible, cold and clinical. There is a huge potential market there, but companies look at numbers, and they see the power fantasy seems to hold, but surely a truly brilliantly designed sci-fi could sway even the fiercest troll to give up his sword in favour of a blaster at his side. Unfortunately, however, the success of World of Warcraft has led to the dumbing down of the industry and I suspect, trends will follow as they have in the general gaming industry. Players will reach a breaking point, and it will require the developers to offer more for the money they charge for their subscriptions.

Until developers take the time to craft truly inspiring and engaging games, we will continue to be trapped in this vanilla exploration of the mediocre, holding tightly onto our favourite gaming magazine, hoping upon hope that something new will be just around the corner to save us from our current pit of tedium. Will it happen? As an avid gamer, I certainly hope so, but until it does, I’ll continue to hold out for the occasional gems that grace the shelves of the local gaming store, and in the mean time, boot up an old classic and reminisce about the days of gaming yore.